Build-Up to a Shattering Collision Course
by Shian1998
Summary: The POVs of David Dunn, Elijah Price/Mr Glass, the Horde and Casey Cooke as they sense that a great battle is coming. Originally written back when I was getting hyped for the final instalment in this trilogy.
1. David Dunn-The Overseer

**1\. David Dunn/The Overseer:**

**Hi guys. I first saw Unbreakable and Split late last year, and I loved them both. Especially loved how much focus was put into developing each film's opposing protagonists and how they connect to each other, and I wanted to write this before watching Glass, which I haven't seen yet but will see later today. Really looking forward to it, especially after each of the trailers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Unbreakable, Split, Glass, or any of their characters.**

—

David walked through the familiar streets of Philadelphia, occasionally brushing against nearby people to check if any were guilty of any crimes. Unlike the countless previous times he had done this over the decades, this time he had a specific target he hoped to find. Someone who had reawakened an old fear of his.

There had once, many years ago, been a time when he would have ridiculed the idea of people with superpowers actually existing. When he believed the fantastical and unbelievable battles between heroes and villains of extraordinary power belonged only in the comic books. Then came that fateful day on the Eastrail 177, the horrific train wreck that only he had survived. Elijah Price had opened his eyes to the truth about himself, about what he could do, and how he could use his abilities to help and protect people. Elijah had claimed that people with powers had always existed, and while he had initially scoffed at this, after discovering his own powers and seeing what the seemingly feeble Elijah had managed to accomplish, David had started to fear that there could be others out there, who may use their powers to hurt those around them and become very dangerous threats. But after fifteen years of facing nothing more than ordinary criminals, he had begun to think there wouldn't be anyone else like him.

One trip to a diner later, and everything changed.

The horrifying news report he saw on the diner television had stuck with him. The thought of a mentally unstable man capable of transforming into a powerful, violent and cannibalistic monster kept him on guard whenever he went out, wondering when the man known as the Horde would reemerge. If the report was to be believed, this man had taken two shotgun blasts to the chest at point blank range, and survived with only minor wounds. Such a threat could never be truly defeated by ordinary people.

But could he do it?

David knew he had an unbelievable amount of strength and endurance, and had so far survived everything he'd ever faced without any resulting injuries. Nevertheless, he had not come across any enemies with similar powers before. He had not yet learned if he truly could withstand all possible attacks, or if he could potentially be overwhelmed by the Horde. If he was unlucky enough that there were any bodies of water near the battle, his chances would be lowered even further. If he encountered the creature, it was possible he would not survive the ensuing battle.

Despite this, he knew he would have to try, regardless of the danger to himself. The Horde had already brutally murdered at least three people, and had proven himself too dangerous a threat to be allowed to wonder free. Someone had to stop him, and David knew he may be the only one who could stand a chance.

Stopping the Horde became even more important when David factored Elijah, now known as Mr Glass, into the picture. Elijah had been in prison for many years now, yet David still remembered how the cripple had, using nothing but his intellect, successfully engineered the deaths of hundreds of people and completely avoided all suspicion until he chose to reveal his true nature. David knew that if Elijah became aware of the existence of another super powered individual, he would be very eager to use him for his plans. David did not know what Elijah may want with the Horde, but he knew that if the two came together, countless people would be endangered, and David's chances of stopping them would be significantly reduced.

David had to find the Horde quickly, before anyone else died. He also needed to learn more about his enemy's abilities, to know his strengths and potential weaknesses. He would prefer to learn this before actually meeting the monster, as going into the fight while ignorant of how best to defeat him would be very risky, yet he didn't seem to have any other options.

Unless…

David remembered from the news report that one of the girls abducted by the Horde had survived the encounter. If he could find her, which would be difficult as her identity was kept hidden from the press, perhaps she could provide him with enough information about his quarry to formulate a plan. David was unwilling to try this route unless it became necessary however, as he did not want to place her back into a dangerous situation. The poor girl had suffered enough.

David looked around the crowded street and sighed. Regardless of what course of actions he took, David knew he must fight against the Horde, and it would be the toughest challenge he'd ever faced. He hoped he could keep everyone else out of it, but he feared it would be taken out of his control, and that he wouldn't be able to save everyone.


	2. Elijah Price-Mr Glass

**2\. Elijah Price/Mr Glass:**

Elijah watched as the guard shut and locked the door, leaving him alone in his cell for yet another night. He could barely keep track of how long he had been trapped in this place, but he knew it had been many years since he last saw the outside world, with his mother's visits being his only source of knowledge on what was happening out there.

He lived for his mother's visits. After everything he had done, she continued to love him and treat him as her son. She never looked at him as if he was a madman, which Elijah could not say for anyone else he saw here. Elijah hated all of them for that, bitterly wishing that they could see why he did what he did. It was a shame that so many had to die at his hands, but he knew it was worth it, as he had proven superheroes did indeed exist when he found David, and had validated his own existence. He wished everyone else could understand that, but he knew their minds were too small for that, and all those little people could focus on were the sacrifices he had made, and called him insane when he justified his actions.

His thoughts turned to David now, wondering how his old friend was progressing in his journey as a superhero. Elijah was proud of how far David had come in the short time they knew each other, how he had let go of his skepticism and embraced his destiny. Elijah felt pained whenever he remembered the betrayal and horror in David's eyes after he'd learned of the lengths Elijah took to find him, but Elijah knew their brief friendship had to end if they were to accept their destined roles of archenemies. For a short while after his imprisonment, Elijah feared David may abandon his fate as a hero, but after his mother told him of the rumours of a secret vigilante battling the criminals of Philadelphia, he scoffed at himself for worrying. David had admitted that after saving those children from the home invader he no longer felt that sadness of his, proving he needed this life. And in the comics, once they accepted the call to action the heroes could never truly turn away from their destined fates, and it would be no different with David Dunn.

When David first revealed his powers, Elijah had felt ecstatic that his theories about superheroes actually existing had finally been validated, and he'd wondered when more would emerge from the shadows. But as the years went by and no others showed themselves, Elijah began to feel his old depression consuming him once again, and wondered if he and David were truly alone. All of that changed however, when one day his mother told him the most fascinating story about a man suffering from DID, who had a personality that could transform him into a horrifying beast capable of extraordinary feats.

Elijah had felt so happy when he heard this news. Finally, another super powered individual had revealed their existence. And this time, it was a villain instead of a hero. This would definitely result in conflict between David and the new player. Elijah remembered what his mother had told him about this person. A man named Kevin Crumb, who had about two dozen personalities, prompting the public to call him the Horde. And when a particular personality took over, the Horde's body increased in size, gained shocking amounts of strength, speed and endurance, and took on a far more savage and animalistic nature, prompting him to brutally kill and cannibalise at least three people. Presumably, there would be far more victims by the time it was over.

Elijah knew that such a threat would not escape David's notice, and that the vigilante would not be able to stand by and do nothing about it. One way or another, David Dunn and Kevin Crumb would find and battle against one another. And Elijah was determined to see this happen. More importantly, Elijah thought, he was determined that the whole world would see this happen.

Finally, Elijah thought. He'd finally been given the chance to prove to all those who called him crazy that he was right the whole time. Finally, he had the chance to bring the super powered individuals together in front of everyone. To show the world that they existed, and what they were capable of.

Elijah smirked to himself, nearly becoming restless with anticipation. The long awaited showdown was on its way, he thought to himself happily. With Crumb as the soldier villain to battle David, and himself as the brilliant mastermind to manipulate things from the shadows. And while it may not be as epic as the fantastical and exaggerated battles in the comics and their adaptations, the results should still be spectacular.


	3. Kevin Wendell Crumb-The Horde

**3\. Kevin Wendell Crumb/Dennis/Patricia/Hedwig/Barry/Jade/Orwell/Heinrich/Norma/Goddard/Bernice/Polly/Luke/Rakel/Felicia/Ansel/Jelin/Kat/B.T/Samuel/Mary Reynolds/Ian/Mr Pritchard/The Beast/The Horde:**

Dennis walked down the street towards the latest safe house they had been using, the darkness of the night ensuring no one would recognise him and alert the authorities.

Life had been hard since they had been forced to leave their hide-out underneath the zoo. The police were looking for them everywhere, so they had to be very careful. They had very little money, and often had to discretely steal to survive. And, Dennis thought, worst of all in his opinion, he couldn't even keep themselves properly clean. It was driving him crazy!

But, as Patricia often reminded him, they had to trust in the Beast. He would protect them. He would show the world how powerful they could be.

A shame he wouldn't just do that straight away. That way maybe they could get out of this rut. But the Beast needed a larger group of sacrifices before he could do anything. Ten to twelve unworthy, Patricia insisted.

Dennis entered the safe house, carefully secured all the locks, and once again checked over their supplies to ensure they still had enough, grumbling over how as well as essentials they also had a large number of childish items for Hedwig. The hyperactive boy wouldn't shut up until they got enough for him to entertain himself with. Dennis also obsessively cleaned the place and reorganised the supplies, disgusted by the state of the place they were reduced to living in. Finally satisfied, Dennis sat down and closed his eyes.

Finding himself in a very familiar room, he stepped out of the light and returned to his chair within the circle, finding Patricia and Hedwig waiting for him. Kevin and the rest of the alters remaining sleeping in their chairs, leaving the three leaders of the Horde to talk.

"How goes the search, Dennis?" Patricia asked him.

"I believe I may have found a few more impure that we could sacrifice to the Beast," Dennis answered. "It will take more time to find the right moment to make our move, though."

"As long as we do not lose our chance," Patricia warned. "The Beast requires his sacred food, if he is to have the strength to rid the world of the impure."

A moment later, Dennis added "We need to ensure we don't mistakenly sacrifice anyone who is pure. We failed to see that Casey was not like the other girls, which was a mistake we can't repeat."

"We may have failed to see Casey's pureness," Patricia countered, "but the Beast recognised her, and he'll recognise anyone else that's like her. His judgement should not be questioned, so I wouldn't worry."

"Very well," Dennis grumbled.

"Are we gonna see Casey again?" Hedwig asked excitedly. "I hope she knows I haven't cheated on her. Did you know we kissed, etc?"

"Yes, Hedwig," Patricia sighed, trying to be patient with the boy. "We know you kissed her, and maybe we'll see her again, though it's not certain." She shook her head at Dennis to signal for him to not get annoyed and say anything to upset Hedwig. They couldn't afford to have him turn against them, not while he had the power to control who had the light.

"There's something else," Dennis said a few moments later, remembering the disturbing rumour he heard while he was out. "I am unclear of its validity, but I heard a rumour. One of a man who is going around at night attacking criminals. They're calling him the Overseer. And if this is to be believed, he is very strong like the Beast, and cannot be injured."

"You mean like a real life superhero?!" Hedwig exclaimed gleefully. "That's so cool!"

Patricia was far less happy about this news, evidenced by the rage spreading across her face.

"You're saying there is someone out there who is incapable of being injured?" Patricia demanded. "Incapable of being broken, of evolving like the rest of us?"

"As I said," Dennis reminded her, "this is a rumour. We don't know if he's real, or if his powers are being exaggerated. This could be nothing."

"Or it could be something," Patricia retaliated, "and someone like this cannot be part of the world we desire to create. If he is real, we must hunt him, and we must find a way to eliminate him."

"Agreed," Dennis responded, not happy himself about the news he just delivered.

"Are we going to fight a real life superhero?!" the excitable nine-year-old asked loudly. "And have a battle with super powers, etc? This is awesome!" Dennis and Patricia sighed impatiently.

Patricia stood up and moved towards the light. "I'm going to go out to check these rumours, see if I can get anyone to talk about this, and if they might know more information about this potential enemy. We can't allow anything to stand in the way of the Beast's vision."

Dennis nodded, hoping Patricia would find something to put their minds at ease. Of course they shouldn't be worried, as nothing should be able to defeat the Beast. Still, it was better to be careful.


	4. Casey Cooke

**4\. Casey Cooke:**

Casey looked up from her breakfast towards the television, hearing a news reporter giving an update on the search for the Horde. Soon realising they were just talking about an old sighting that would no longer be helpful, she went back to focusing on her meal.

Her life had improved drastically over the past few months. Her experience as the Horde's prisoner, and her near-fatal encounter with the Horde, while traumatising, had given her the courage to finally stand up to her abusive uncle and report him to the police. The trial had been hell, but in the end it was worth it, as the monster was now in prison where he belonged, and she had been taken in by a very nice foster family, who put a lot of effort into making her feel safe and loved.

For the first time in her life since her father died, she was happy.

However, she was also still afraid.

She may have dealt with one of the monsters in her life, but the Horde was still out there, and the Beast was still a threat. She'd seen what he did to Marcia, to Claire, to that old doctor. And he had tried to do the same to her. She still felt the pain in her leg every so often, a constant reminder of her near-death experience. And she knew the Horde still wished to sacrifice more people to the Beast. They may have already done so, as far as she was aware.

She was also still afraid for herself. The Beast may have spared her after seeing her scars, but she feared that he may come back for her anyway. Perhaps he might change his mind about sparing her, or perhaps he might want something else from her. There was also no guarantee that the other members of the Horde were done with her. Were Dennis or Patricia aware that the Beast decided to let her live, or would they come for her again? Casey couldn't know for sure.

They were out there, planning to kill more people. She knew this, and she knew they had to be stopped. Yet, she didn't want them to die either. Any of them. Not Hedwig, who despite his awe of the Beast was an excitable kid that wanted to have fun. Not even Dennis or Patricia, who despite their instability and twisted worldview truly believed they were protecting Kevin. Certainly not Barry or the other alters, who disagreed with the Beast's plan and had tried to help stop it.

She especially felt sympathetic towards Kevin himself. Casey still remembered the look of horror and guilt in the man's eyes when he realised what he had done, and the acceptance as he told her to kill him. Casey related to him, due to the both of them having suffered at the hands of family members that were supposed to protect them. She truly wished she could help him.

Despite her sympathy towards them, Casey knew the alters in Kevin's body had to be stopped. The Beast was too dangerous, and Dennis, Patricia and Hedwig were too set in their beliefs.

But could they be stopped?

Casey recalled how fast and strong the Beast had proven itself. How it had caught up to her with ease during the chase, dodged some of the bullets she shot at him, climbed up the walls with just his fingers, and how he had successfully used his bare hands to bend the metal bars in his attempt to reach her in that cage. She also recalled how she had fired two shots at his chest at point-blank range, and despite inflicting minor wounds the bullets had not penetrated his body.

How could anyone succeed in defeating such a man.

She remembered hearing stories about a vigilante in the city, who had been fighting against crime in Philadelphia for years, and supposedly had super strength and could not be injured. She used to not believe in those stories, believing a person with such abilities could not truly exist. However, after seeing what the Beast was capable of she had begun to be more open-minded. She wondered if this man, this Overseer, could potentially defeat the Beast.

She hoped so, though she fears he might not b able to. And if he couldn't, it was likely no one could.

—

**I started writing this quite a while ago after ordering the tickets for a session the next day, hoping to get it done before seeing the film, but I ran out of time after getting half way, and since I missed the deadline I set myself I lost the urgency to get it done quickly, and got preoccupied by other things. Finally got around to finishing this. Just wanted to say that I loved the film! Was quite surprised by the ending, which I won't spoil here in case someone reading this hasn't seen it. What did you guys think of it, compared to the previous instalments?**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this. And if you have any feedback, please give it to me. :)**


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